Old Parliament Building (Quebec) was the site of the seat of government of

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

(1791-1833),

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

(1867-1883). It was located in what is

Parc Montmorency Parc Montmorency is a park located in Quebec City and home to Parliaments of Lower Canada, Canada East and Quebec from 1791 to 1883. It is named for Henri II, Duke of Montmorency, the viceroy of New France, 1619–1625, under the French ki ...

today, the site of two Parliament buildings from 1791 to 1883 at the Chapel of Bishop's Palace and later within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace.

History

The first building on the site was the Chapel of Bishop's Palace, which was ordered built by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Saint-Vallier from 1693 to 1695 to replace a stone house purchased by Saint-Vallier in 1688. In 1777 the building was rented to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

government to house the Legislative Council under orders from then

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 177 ...

. From 1791 to 1838 it was home to the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

and

Legislative Council of Lower Canada The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly ...

Chronology of Parliament Buildings of Quebec

1st Parliament Buildings: * 1777 British government rents the Chapel of Bishop's Palace within the Episcopal Palace of Quebec for the Legislative Council * 1830s demolition of Chapel of Bishop's Palace (1833) and addition added with new main building and first wing of new Parliament Buildings to the Episcopal Palace (1830-1831) * 1840 Quebec no longer capital and buildings becomes vacant with the establishment of the

(rotated between Kingston,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

) * 1852 Parliament returns to the Episcopal Palace site and new Parliament still under construction * 1852–1853 Episcopal Palace is demolished as new Parliament construction continues * 1854 new Parliament Buildings nearing completion but destroyed by fire * 1854–1859 Parliament relocates to two locations: ** Quebec Music Hall (or Academy of Music) on rue St. Louis - a three-storey

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

structure built by Charles Baillairge from 1851 to 1853; it burned down in 1900 **

Quebec City Courthouse Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

– a three-storey wooden building built between 1799 and 1804; it burned down in 1873 (now home to Old Courthouse of Quebec) 2nd Parliament Buildings: * 1859–1860 new Parliament Building at Côte de la Montagne completed and served sessions from 1860 to 1865 * 1866 capital of the province of Canada moves to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

for final time (and becomes federal Parliament in 1867), and Quebec buildings becomes vacant briefly * 1867–1883 the province of

is created and the Parliament Buildings is designated home to new provincial Parliament * 1883 Parliament Buildings destroyed in fire and relocated to the current buildings (began construction in 1877 and nearing completion * 1884 – Parliament moved to the current

Parliament Building (Quebec) The Parliament Building of Quebec (french: Hôtel du Parlement du Québec, links=no) is an eight-floor structure and is home to the National Assembly of Quebec (french: Assemblée Nationale du Québec, links=no), located in Quebec City, Quebec, Ca ...

; the old building is demolished and reopened known as Parc Montmorency in 1894 The 2nd parliament building was a

structure with a dome in the central structure flanked by two wings. Built between 1830 and 1850, it was destroyed by a fire in 1854. The building's interior is featured in Robert Harris' 1884 painting ''"Conference at Quebec in 1864''.

References

External links

* *
Parliament of Canada (Montmorency Park)
{{s-end Buildings and structures in Quebec City Former seats of national legislatures Legislative buildings in Canada Demolished buildings and structures in Canada Greek Revival architecture in Canada Quebec Legislature Province of Canada Burned buildings and structures in Canada